Emily Pugliese

Maybe I’m a bit of a romantic, but I love almost everything about weddings and wedding planning. But weddings can quickly get very expensive for both your wallet and the planet. With the wedding season rapidly approaching I’m sure there are a lot of brides out there wondering how they can make their wedding a little greener and easier to plan.
Need some ideas about how to reduce your footprint and the cost for your spring wedding? Think about using flowers that are in season and grown locally. If you’re planning a spring wedding think tulips, daffodils or, my personal favorite, peonies! Also consider purchasing a used or sample dress. My own gown was a sample which meant that I could afford a designer gown on a very small budget. You can even rent your dress for the big day!
Carbonfund.org Partner, The Green Bride Guide, offers tons of ideas like these to help you plan your perfect green wedding. From pictures and stories about real green weddings, to articles and advice on eco-chic decor, and a wide range of eco-friendly products, check out the online guide today.

Carbonfund.org partner Anvil Knitwear have joined forces with renowned fashion designer Vivienne Westwood to launch a limited edition T-shirt to support the efforts of rainforest nations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to stop deforestation.
Deforestation is responsible for over 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all the world's cars and trucks combined. The Coalition for Rainforest Nations wants slow the rate of deforestation by initiating a mechanism known as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation). Through REDD+, the United Nations will issue carbon credits for each hectare of living rainforest giving landowners a financial incentive to keep their land forested instead of logging it.
Anvil Knitwear, Inc, a leading manufacturer of socially and environmentally responsible apparel and accessories, provided eco-friendly T-shirts from its AnvilSustainable™ collection. Each shirt is made with a blend of recycled polyester, derived from approximately three recycled plastic bottles and transitional cotton that comes from farms that are converting to organic farming methods, a three-year process required for receiving organic certification.
Anvil Knitwear is also supporting rainforest protection through their partnership with Carbonfund.org. Earlier this year the AnvilRecyled™ tees received our CarbonFree® Product Certification. To meet rigorous standards of the CarbonFree® Product Certification Program, Anvil assessed the carbon footprint of the recycled tee throughout its lifecycle, from raw materials sourcing, manufacturing and transportation to screen printing, consumer use and disposal. Anvil made the tee carbon neutral by reducing emissions during the production process and by supporting the Return to Forest reforestation project in Nicaragua. To learn more about all of Anvil’s impressive sustainability efforts, please visit www.anvilknitwearcsr.com.

Now you can track the life of your t-shirt from the farm to the factory to your back, and everywhere in between!
Anvil Knitwear, Inc. announced the launch of TrackMyT.com, a groundbreaking, interactive website that chronicles and brings to life the complete journey and environmental impact of a t-shirt, from cottonseed to consumer. The site, which specifically tracks t-shirts for youth ages two to 12, allows users to explore cotton farms, a gin and spinners, as well as Anvil's textile mill, cut and sew plants, and distribution facility -- all by inputting a unique tracking number printed on their very own shirt.
Anvil Knitwear started the tracking process when they determined the carbon footprint of their AnvilRecyled™ tees while pursuing Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree® Product Certification. To meet rigorous standards of the CarbonFree® Product Certification Program, Anvil assessed the carbon footprint of the recycled tee throughout its lifecycle, from raw materials sourcing, manufacturing and transportation to screen printing, consumer use and disposal. Anvil made the tee carbon neutral by reducing emissions during the production process and by supporting reforestation projects.
In keeping with Anvil's commitment to being an environmentally and socially responsible company, the TrackMyT.com site explores the differences between organic and conventional cotton farming, and calculates the carbon footprint of each step in the manufacturing process. Because many consumers are unaware that an average of 60 percent of a shirt's carbon contribution comes from a lifetime of washing and wearing (as opposed to its manufacturing), the site identifies ways the user can minimize his or her carbon footprint as a t-shirt owner.
Anvil Knitwear, Inc., a socially and environmentally responsible manufacturer of sportswear and accessories, is a leader in the sustainable apparel industry with its AnvilOrganic®, AnvilRecycled™ and AnvilSustainable™ brands. Anvil was ranked as the world's sixth largest organic program for 2008 and the largest domestic purchaser of US grown certified organic cotton and transitional cotton (cotton in conversion to organic farming methods).
Anvil offers 16 affordable eco styles made from a variety of fibers such as certified organic cotton, transitional cotton, recycled cotton, and recycled PET bottles and blends, as well approximately 70 traditional styles. Anvil's website www.TrackMyT.com offers educational information on the making of its youth tees. For more information about Anvil, please visit www.anvilknitwear.com or www.anvilcsr.com.
You can also learn more about the CarbonFree® Product Certification Program and CarbonFree® Certified, the first carbon neutral product label in the US at www.carbonfund.org/products.

When Allegheny Contract Flooring joined our CarbonFree® Business Program in 2008 they pledged to “reduce, reduce, reduce” and they have taken significant steps to do just that. Through their Office of Sustainability they are working to rapidly transform their own operations to be sustainable and kind to the environment.
Perhaps the most impressive achievement is their Zero Waste to Landfill Policy. To date, they have recycled more than 3,000,000 pounds of broadloom and carpet tile. Considering construction and demolition debris comprises about 40 percent of the solid waste stream this is an extremely important strategy. Where practical, some of this reclaimed material is restored and donated to charitable and other not for profit organizations, some is reused in the carpet manufacturing process, and some finds new life in the form of such disparate items as park benches, automobile accessories and curb blocks. None of it is disposed of in landfills. None of it is burned in incinerators. 100% is recycled.
Allegheny Contract Flooring is New England’s largest commercial flooring company. The company was founded in 1945 and has been owned by the Auditore family ever since. Daniel and James Auditore took over ownership of the company in 2005 with the goal of not only being New England’s largest but also New England’s greenest commercial flooring company. Allegheny is offsetting their corporate footprint by supporting renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. For more information, please visit www.alleghenycontract.com.